Indicator for cameras



- 1941- K. NUCHTERLEIN 2,266,656

INDICATOR FOR CAMERAS Filed Sept. 28, l937 2 Sheets-Sheet l F/GJ.

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1941- K. NUCHTERLEIN 2,266,656

INDICATOR FOR CAMERAS Filed Sept. 28, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Dec. 16, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE INDICATOR FOR CAMERAS Karl Nuchterlein, Dresden, Germany, assignor to Ihagee Kamerawerk Steenbergen& 00., Dresden, Germany Application September 28, 1937,.Serial No. 166,205

3 Claims.

mechanism of the camera co-operates with an automatically winding curtain-shutter. The indicator of my invention is combined with the film-feeding mechanism, the shutter-setting mechanism, and other operating parts of the camera, and it is especially adapted for use-with the miniature type of camera.

The indicator is operated in connection with these essential parts of the camera by means of a single winding lever which sets the camera for taking a picture, and an operating lever (not shown) is employed to release the set mechanisms ior picture-taking, as illustrated in my co-pending application for patent Ser. No. 123,904 or February 3, 1937,'which has matured into Patent No. 2,180,064 of Nov. 14, 1939.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure l is an enlarged detail vertical sectional view of the film-winding and shutter-set= ting driving-head with which the rotary indicator is combined or embodied, this view also showing the winding spool for the film.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the rotary clutchshowing a gear-drive winding reel.

Figure 9 is a horizontal sectional view of Figure 8 showing the ratchet device to prevent reverse movement of the winding-head and indicator, and showing also a device for releasing the ratchet to permit re-winding or the film.

Figure 10 is an elevation at the rear of the for an auxiliary filmcamera, with the detachable back-plate removed actuator mounted on themain shaft or drive shaft of the'driving or windinghead.

Figure 3 is a plan view of the clutch device, with the drive shaft in section, as at line 3-42 of Figure l, the parts of the clutch being disengaged.

Figure 4 is a plan view of the operating or wind-lever with its hub.

Figure 5 is a plan view of the indicator or dialdisk, showing also its complementary stationary gage-mark, the disk being shown as set at zero.

to disclose part of the interior arrangement of the camera, the film being indicated by dotted lines, and this view (also shows the relative position of the winding lever exterior of the camera.

Figure 11 is a horizontal sectional View of the camera showing the central light chamber, and a rear dark-chamber with the film-pack and the winding-spool at opposite ends, together with the two automatically wound or spring-curtains of the shutter, and film-ieeding auxiliaries.

Inasmuch as the indicator is operated in con'- nection with the film-feeding mechanism, or winding mechanism, and the shutter-setting mechanism, through the instrumentality of a single winding-lever and a winding or drivinghead, these mechanisms are illustratedin the drawings, and a brief description of them will assist in understanding the construction and operation of the rotary indicator.

In Figure 5 a plan view is shown of the rotary indicator or dial-disk i, which is provided withtwo finger-pins 2, 2, for re-setting the indicator for a new film F, and in re-setting the indioator it is turned, manually, anti-clockwise in able manner on the top face of the camera cas-' ing C. As here shown, the indicator has thirtyseven radial marks to define thirty-six spaces, and these thirty-six spaces correspond to the thirty-six exposures of the standard roll-film F.

For each exposure the indicator is turned in the direction of the wind" arrow through an arc one space less than 360 degrees, and there held.. Thus, in Figure 5, upon the first exposure, the indicator is turned in the Wind direction, one space less than a complete circle, and therea fore the second radial mark, instead of the first radial mark, stops at the gage-mark 3, to indicate the first exposure has been made. The winding lever 4 is turned to wind or feed the film, after each exposure, and the indicator turns with each of these operations, one space less than a comthe movement of the winding head, and also pleta circle, thus bringing succeeding marks jinto 2 register with the stationary mark 3.. The radial marks on the dial or indicator may be numbered, or the divisions may be shown in other suitable manner, but in the drawings, however,

these numbers are omitted because of their extremely small size.

The lever 4 and the rotary indicator I are mounted exterior of the camera casing C, at

. the winding head, or driving-head for the filmfeed and shutter-setting mechanism, and one full swing in a complete circle, or an approxi-' mately complete circle, will feed the film, set the shutter and operate the indicator, as will be described. 1

The casing C is provided with a removable backwall the inner face of which is provided with a fiat, resilient presser plate 3, and a guide roller 1, for the film F. A standard type of film pack P, with its daylight spool D, is loaded into and unloadedfrom the dark chamber at the rear of the camera. The back wall 0' forms one wall of'this dark chamber, and an inner, longitudinally extending, vertical partition 8 forms the remaining-walls of the dark chamber; the filmpack P being located at one end of the chamber and the winding spool W of the filmbeing located assesses the camera, and the openings in the curtains form a slot through which the light flashes t0 exposea portion of the fllm for picture-taking.

The attaching hub of the lever is firmly secured byscrew 20 to the driving-head or windinghead, and the indicator disk i has an upper annular flange 22 that fits into a counter sunk portion of the hub 5 with comparatively slight frictional engagement, so that the lever is free to at the opposite end, under the winding-header driving-head; v

As indicated in Figure 10, the standard rollfilm F is provided with perforations or holes along its upper and lower edges, and in Figure 11 it will be seen that the film is fed from the pack P at the right to the winding spool W at the left between the presser plate and the partition, the exposure being made through the central light chamber A, and through an opening in the back wall of the chamber as well as through an opening through the partitions, for that purpose.

Theguide roller 1 is located adjacent a reel having star wheels 9, mounted on the shaft III,

to engage the perforations. of the film and hold the film taut against buckling. This auidliary friction'plate l3 of the spool Wand the film is zvounil1 on the spool as the'lever 4 is intermittently urne The shutter comprises a first or opening curtain l4 and a second or closing curtain l5, whichfiash successively across the rear of the camera, fromleft toright in Figure 11 to make an exposure. These curtains are wound upon the rollturn relatively to the disk when permitted to do so.

The open center disk I, as well as the hub!) of the lever A are mounted on a sleeve 23 that is clamped by the screw 20, so that the lever is rigid with the sleeve, the screw being threaded into the upper end of a driving shaft or windingshaft 2| of the winding-head. Thusthe filmwinding movement of the lever 4 is transferred through the sleeve, then through a clutch on the shaft 2!, and thence through a double-flange coupling 26' and screw to the windingspool W.

The sleeve has rigidly attached thereto one end of a coiled spring 23, and the other end of this spring is anchored to a fixed post 21 standing erect above and rigid with one of the interior frame .plates 28 of the camera. Spring 26 is wound under tension on the working stroke or swing of the lever d, and. this spring automatically returns the lever to initial or normal position. when the thumb or finger is released from the lever 4.

To transmit driving power from the sleeve 23 to the shaft 2i and to the disk I, and also to prevent return or reverse movement of the winders l6 and I! by the lever A through one of the gears of the-driving head against the tension of springs in the, automatically, spring-wound curtain-rollers l8 and I9, and when the button" is pushed to take a, picture, rollers l6 and I7 are released, and rollers l8 and I9 automatically wind .the curtains. Each of these curtains has a light-opening which registers with the openings of the light-chamber and the dark-chamber of mg spool W with the inactive or return stroke of the lever, I provide a clutch device between the sleeve and the shaft that is controlled by an actuating cam-arm 29 that is rigid with and pro-' jects laterally fromthe lower end of the sleeve.

The'clutch comprises a driven member in the, N

form of a toothed ratchet-disk 30 having teeth 3|, which is keyed at 32 to the main shaft or winding shaft of the winding head. The driving member oil th utch is mounted on a gear 33, losely journaled on thashaft beneath the actu-,

,ating cam-arm 29 of the sleevera d this gear,

through suitable mechanism operates he-s ter-setting mechanism. In the upper, depressed or recessed face of this ear 33 a driving pawl 34 of the-clutch is pivoted at 35 with its working end adapted to swing in toward the ratchet 3D as well as to swing outwardly from the ratchet By means of a spring 36 anchored at 31 on the clutch gear 33, resilient means are provided for holding :the pawl out of engagement with the ratchet-disk. An actuating pin 38 is mounted on top of the working end of the spring pressed pawl, and this pin projects upwardly into the path of the rotary cam-arm 29, so that asethd The rotary winding movement of the mainshaft 2| is transmitted to the rotary indicator dial-disk I from the shaft through a drive gear 39 keyed to the shaft beneath. the clutch gear 33. This drive gear meshes with a one-way or ratchet-pinion 40 mounted on a spindle ll that drawing ilt, as before explained.

. and spring 20 arenot disturbed jwhen is journaled in ,upright position.in one of the frame plates 28. Pinion ll turns only in. antiattache be reversed meme re-winding of-the latent clockwise directionwhen lever l is turned, and the ratchet-pinion is held against reverse, or

clockwise turning by means .of the springressed ratchet-pawl a held in engagement therewithv by a spring b, By meansof this pawl and ratchet-pinion, after the spool W,

through shaftll, has'been turned to feed the film, the'spool and shaftare held against reverse movement, and the indicator also is re- 'tained stationary against reverse movement.

Onits upper end the spindle It has a second pinion 42 that meshes with a gear 43 loamy journaled on the/sleeve 23, above the coiled The friction between this friction-'drlve-disk and the indicator is sufficient to positively drivethe indicator as the disk rotates under impulse of the-working stroke of the lever l, but the friction between the hub of the lever and the flange 22 of the indicator isnot sufficient to form a As heretofore stated, the indicator turns through-an are that is one dial-space less in dis spring 28, and this gear. has an integral friction disk that fits snugly up within a recess in. the lower face of the dial-diskor indicator].

images into the pack P.

'I'hetubularkemasseeninFiguresB andsis journaled to oscillate through an are on a fixed post 41 rigid with a frame plate 28, and at its lower end, the tubular key is cut away to form spaced shoulders 48 and ISA-hat co-act with a stop pin ",which pin is mounted on the plate in the path of movement of th e-shoulders.

- As shown in Figure 9, when e winding-head isin condition to feed the him, the spring pressed vor-ratch'et 4|. This turning of the key is accomplished by pushing on the handle 48 in the manner described. After the him has been re-wound,

afresh-mil film is substituted therefor, and of course the key is turned-to bring the shoulder out of contact with the free end of the detent,

tance than a complete circle or a single rotation,

and this lost distance is accomplished through lostmotion between the gear I! and pinion ll and pinion-ll and gear 48, the ratios the gear and pinion and the second pinion and second gear'being predetermined with relation to the thirty-six spaces of the indicator. If the spaces'of the indicator are increased, ,or vde-'- creased, as which numben of course the ratios Y of the transmission gears and. pinions will also.

be changcdaccordingly.

The; friction drive disk ll of the gear ll rotates the indicator I, and the latter-moves eoncentrically with the hub of the. lever, but. at a slower .speed-and through a shorter distance. After the full complement of exposures have been made, in this instance thirty-six, or after thefllmhasbeenunloadedforanyotherreason,

the indicator isagain re-set,, by hand, bringing the-indicator back to position of Figure 5.

latter isunloaded or withdrawn, the pawl or is being re-wound from the 'spoolback intothe pack, re-winding is accomplished by use I of the exterior hand-wlnding-heads II and .I2.

tthehackof the camera within the casing mounted -& tllb1ll8l' control key ll, and on upper. end of thiskey, exteriorfof the casing and adjacent the lever [is an integral areuate shaped handle II. Onthe top face of the sing 0 appear two letters'R. andv indicating respectively reverse and advance as related to the' film I".- when the key is turned so that its handle (dotted inl 'ig. 9) covers or obscures the letter R, the film is moving forward:- and when the key is turned to therightjin-ldg. 9 tocover or obscure the letter V it will-be understood that the iilm-winding' mechanism is to For the purposeof're-wlnding the film with its latent images into the nlmpack'before the whereuponthe spring lilo-forces the detent into engagement with the ratchet pinion 4t.

thus fully. described my inventioni what I claim as'new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is? i. The combination in a film feeding mechanism for a camera with a one-way winding shaft, a sleeve rotatableon'the shaft, means for tuming the sleeve, and automatic means for returning the sleeve, of a rotary indicator disk loose on the sleeve, a clutch device between the sleeve and shaft and means for automatically actuating the clutch deviceafter an initial movement of said shaft, a set of power-transmitting gears between the shaft and said disk, and the last of said gears having arfriction-drive disk engaging said indicator disk wherehy said indicator is successively advanced to the next indicating position following the initial movement of said film feeding mechanism.

2. The combination with scone-way winding shaft, a sleevejloose on the shaft, means for turning the sleeve, a clutch device between the sleeve and shaft, means for automatically retin-hing the sleeve, and means for retaining .the shaft in operated position, of an indicator disk loose on the sleeve, a set of power-transmitting gears between the shaft and disk,- and the last of said gears having a friction-disk in driving en agement with the indicator disk-,whereby said indicator is successively advanced to the 'next indicating position following an initial movement of the winding shaft.

3. In' a camera of the focal plane shutter type. the combination with a drive shaft, aiilm spool, and power transmitting connections therebetween, of a sleeve rotatably secured on said shaft and an operating lever therefor, an exposure indicator rotatably secured on said sleeve. is

clutch member on said sleeve, a co-acting clutch member rotatably mounted on said shaft, a star wheeliixed on said shaft'for cooperation with the second named clutch member, and means driven by said shaft for transmitting rotary movement to said indicator, after shaft movement. 

